Vietnam - Korea Trade Union opens new direction for cooperation after 10 years

On the afternoon of October 19th, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) held a high-level talks with the Korea Federation of Trade Unions (FKTU). Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan - Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of VGCL, chaired the talks. On the FKTU side, Mr. Kim Dongmyeong - Chairman, headed the talks this afternoon.

At the talks, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan said that the Vietnam - Korea comprehensive strategic partnership creates a favorable foundation for the two trade union organizations to continue to expand cooperation, contributing to strengthening understanding and friendship between workers and people of the two countries.

This visit by FKTU takes place on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the two organizations signing the Cooperation Agreement (since 2016), an opportunity to look back at the achieved results and identify practical cooperation contents in the coming period.

The President of the VGCL proposed that the two sides review and update the cooperation plan after 10 years of signing the cooperation agreement in 2016. Accordingly, the foreign affairs department of the two organizations will be the focal point to assess the results of implementation in the past time, and at the same time adjust and supplement necessary contents to improve the effectiveness of cooperation in the next phase.

Referring to supporting Vietnamese workers in Korea, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan requested FKTU to pay attention to implementing activities to help Vietnamese workers go to Korea to work and get married to soon integrate into life in the host country.

The two sides also need to strengthen activities to care for and protect the rights of Vietnamese workers working in Korea, including researching the possibility of supporting workers in difficult circumstances and vulnerable groups.

On the Vietnamese side, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan affirmed that the VGCL is ready to organize activities to care for and support Korean workers working in Vietnam. He also emphasized that Vietnamese law has allowed foreign workers to participate in the Vietnamese Trade Union organization, thereby creating conditions for Korean workers working in Vietnam to participate in the organization and protect their legitimate rights.

Another content proposed by the President of the VGCL is to maintain exchanges after the talks, which is to select issues of mutual concern to organize online workshops, share information and experiences. In which, informal labor, foundational labor and new issues arising in labor management are topics that need to be prioritized for discussion.

Representatives of FKTU expressed agreement with this proposal, and at the same time said that workshops need the participation of experts and policymakers to come up with professional solutions, contributing to perfecting policies and improving the effectiveness of protecting workers.

In addition, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan wished the leaders of the two organizations to continue to promote cooperation between industry trade unions and local trade unions of the two countries, and study to expand exchange programs and experience exchanges in each field and locality.

Representatives of FKTU assessed this as a practical cooperation direction, and at the same time proposed that the two sides actively connect and introduce suitable partners to strengthen regular exchanges.

The President of the VGCL believes that, on the basis of relations of more than three decades and the 10-year milestone of signing the Cooperation Agreement, the two sides will continue to consolidate friendly relations, deploy cooperation more and more practically and effectively; contributing to protecting workers and strengthening the Vietnam - Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Mr. Kim Dongmyeong also expressed his expectation that the cooperative relationship between FKTU and the VGCL will continue to be consolidated and substantially developed, contributing to protecting the rights and improving the lives of workers in the context of rapid changes in the economy and technology.

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